subwoofer

I sold my 2018 991.2 C4S manual recently after almost five years of ownership. Great car but not doable for me as my only car. I had a 2013 981 Boxster S manual for 4 years before that. That was my second car so it worked well. I specced it badly (for mysel)f as my first Porsche so I ended up selling it for the 911. Big mistake. If I had the right options, I wouldn't have sold it. Much more fun then the 911.
I am back to a 2 car solution for me so again looking for a Boxster. Questions regarding the 718 Boxster.
a) I am looking at a base optioned as I would want it (MT) and it is almost 87k. What is the curent situation with orders and pricing? MSRP or ADM?
b) For folks who have owned the 981, how would you compare it to the turbo 4? I loved the NA flat six in my 981 so I know it won't sound the same.
c) This might sound sacrilegious but did anyone test drive the Z4 before buying the Boxster? I did own a 2005z4 for eight years before my 981 and that was a dull car compared to the Porsche. I wonder if things have changed. I know auto only but it is almost 30k less.
Thanks for your input.

gobble

I can answer one of your questions. I just took delivery of a Cayman S and have a Boxster for my wife at "schedule for production" with an original 7/15 expected delivery that now says 8/26 on TYD. I paid MSRP for both. I got lucky finding the Cayman allocation then started digging around for a Boxster allocation because my wife wanted to trade her 2017 for a new one. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to get a simple Boxster! It took a couple months of searching but in the end I did get one at MSRP shortly after I put money down at $5,000 over MSRP (which the other dealer nicely refunded no questions asked). It's helpful to find a friendly salesperson who will quietly tell you which dealers are sitting on allocations.

Bob Z.

Start reading threads in this forum, and the one for the 6 cylinder cars. I recommend that anyone coming over to a 718 take some time and scan the threads and read the ones you think may help, or read most like I did before I sold my 2019 Targa GTS and bought a Spyder. And read the allocation threads and talk to a couple of dealers near you to see what the status of a base car is.

AdamIsAdam

Bob,
care to share driving impressions and differences between the 911 and 718 cars?

manifold danger

This wouldn't really help here as Bob has a Spyder, totally different dynamic.

I feel like I could weigh in. Since placing a deposit on a 992 GTS, I've been bouncing around vehicles the past few months, and even have relevant ownership experience of a 981 Boxster GTS from a few years back. I had a 991.2 Carrera S manual for about a year in between, and am now currently driving a 718 Boxster GTS with PDK.

The first place to start probably is to answer a very basic question- of the 3 cars I've owned previously, if they were all sitting in my driveway right now, which one would I choose to go on a fun drive on twisty roads? For that honestly would have to be the 911; mine was spec'd amazingly well with sports package and rear-axle steering, and was just a joy to take down a twisty road. It might be a tougher choice if it happened to be a perfect 73 degree day for the top down experience, but for pure driving the 911 is tough to beat.

But another very basic question, do I miss the 911? Not so much. The 718 scratches that itch just fine, and in some ways as mentioned in the first post, "more fun". Being able to put the top down is also a huge bonus, as I personally dislike the aesthetic of the 911 cabriolet. (For reference, I did miss the 911 while I had an Audi RS5 for a few months... just not the same type of sports car experience but couldn't ask for a better daily driver)

On to the differences between the 981 and 718. As I've said probably dozens of times since joining these forums when I bought the 981 while the 718 was available, from a pure cost basis, the 981 may make sense as you can still grab one for considerably less than a 718, especially when considering new. But from a driving dynamics perspective, to me, the 718 is a categorical upgrade to the 981 and far outweighs the compromise in sound. And yes, I deeply loved the sound of my 981 GTS- which is why I've also placed a deposit on a 718 GTS 4.0. I think with the upgraded driving dynamics of the 718 platform AND an upgraded flat 6 engine, the 4.0 is the car to have. Even maybe compared to a 992 GTS, cost being accounted for at a ~$50k discount. I guess we'll see; my 992 arrives in August, the 718 I don't even have an allocation for but don't expect it till next spring/summer. I'll have time for the 992 to win me over I guess... first world problems!

But to close the loop- I've recently been finding myself considering just looking into upgraded exhaust systems as literally the ONLY thing I'm even slightly not 100% happy with my current 718 GTS is the sound. And really, the sound isn't terrible- I just know there's better options out there. The engine also isn't quite as smooth as I was used to with my other P cars... but that may not be entirely fair because this car is PDK, and it's great, but occasionally it does sort of clunk and bang in ways that are strange to me, and I'm still not quite used to taking off from a standing start and how it sort of feels like it's slipping the clutch... so not an apples to apples comparison. I did drive a manual 718 Cayman and that felt amazing to drive- better than the 981. I'm just tired of getting caught in traffic with a manual, and for autocross and HPDE the PDK is just a better experience (to me). This car has exceeded my expectations even though it isn't the perfect spec as I picked it up used... and it legitimately has me considering abandoning my other "projects" and getting my deposits back. It's very, very good.

Bob Z.

Night & day difference. The Targa did not feel all that big until I drove the Spyder, which felt like a gocart.

TXshaggy

In today's environment, and as others have said above, you are going to have to work to get an allocation for any Porsche 992/982 -- even base models.

I was chatting with my SA last month at a dealer PCA event and he said demand is crazy, they have 15 on waitlists for base 718s.

Put some effort into it and you should be ok, start calling around.

AdamIsAdam

So far, I'm LOVING the CGTS. I love the size, the neutral handling and very good steering. The power goes down, planting the rear tires. Yea, I'm loving it. My last Porsche was a 996, which is nearly identical in size but I did not like the light steering and uneven balance of the rear engine. I can see the advantages of 60% rearward weight bias on the track for sure - in the right hands, but overall, it was not ideal for me. That being said, I'm still in love with all things 911 and it's still in the back of my mind at all times.

The mid-engine Cayman handling is so good that it's tainting my enjoyment of my GT350. The Mustang's rear end feels so loose by comparison. And that car is AMAZING to drive on/off the track. That's how good the Porsche feels to me.

I think I'm in love with mid-engine dynamics. But in terms of engines, a V8 is still tops in my books. And I require a manual transmission. So what does that leave me with? R8? Ford GT (for $400k+)?

But I digress. Sorry for the hijack. Now back to our regularly scheduled thread.

subwoofer

Thanks guys There are no Boxster allocations at the local dealers so I ended up ordering a cruiser convertible. 440i. May not handle like a Boxster, but I do love the space and the wonderful inline six. Will keep it for a few years and wait for the EV Boxster.

OldJedi

^^^^ Congratulations on the Bimmer but did you consider buying a used Boxster and waiting for an allocation or EV Boxster? I think the used Boxster would have held its value very well.

subwoofer

Thanks. I don't like buying used cars. And the local Porsche dealers had no allocations for a 718. The 440i is available and quite reasonably priced compared to Porsche. It will be used primarily in our winter home in Florida anyway where a cruiser convertible would be more useful than a 718. Flat wide roads and warm weather.

raaizin

I have a 2014 911 3.4 PDK and a 2021 Cayman S 6 spd. The 911 is more refined much more headroom, I am 6'1" , it has more interior room and is much quieter. My wife and I seem to sit much closer on the Cayman. The Cayman turns better but on the road it is impossible to get near the limit in either. Cayman handles curves much better. Of the two I use the 911 more.